


Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood

by Merry_Wonderland



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016), Penny Dreadful (TV)
Genre: 1890's, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, Hypnosis, I am basically writing for a fandom I'm not even a part of, I may also get some canon facts wrong, I only watched Renfield's scenes, I've never seen Penny Dreadful, Just think of it as an AU rather than a crossover, London, No Slash, OMC - Freeform, Pararibulitis (Dirk Gently), So it may be a little ooc for the PD characters, Time Travel, Two characters played by the same actor meet, Vampires, Whump, You don't have to have watched Penny Dreadful, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-03-22 03:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merry_Wonderland/pseuds/Merry_Wonderland
Summary: Dirk and Todd are solving the case of Patrick Spring and have just found the last part of the machine... But they don't know what it does. They figure out the hard way that the machine travels in time, and they find themselves in London, 1893. As they try to find the machine to make their way back to 2016, Dirk is mistaken for a doppelgänger apparently called 'Renfield', and it turns out many people don't like him and are very suspicious of him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I WILL get Penny Dreadful canon wrong! Please forgive me. I have never watched Penny Dreadful (I only watched Renfield's parts), but I tried my best! I loved Samuel's portrayal as Renfield and Dirk, and I really wanted to see them together. I am still working on the story, and I plan to finish it, so if you want to see more, PLEASE let me know; leave a kudos or a comment! (Comments are my favourite though).

"Want to dig up some more weird crap buried by a dead guy?"

With a smirk slowly growing on his face, Dirk looked at Todd, "More than anything else in the world."

After that, the day had actually been going pretty well. Dirk's 'hunches' were luckily leading them to the burial sites, and slowly but surely, they found the pieces one by one. The day was long and slow and strenuous, but overall, they were actually enjoying it. It was the closest Dirk had ever been to camping with friends, and although they were shot at with arrows, got lost a numerous amount of times, and were actually currently in the middle of an investigation about the death of a millionaire and the disappearance of his daughter, Dirk could honestly say this was the most relaxed he felt for a long time. He enjoyed spending alone time with Todd. It was nice to share the investigation with a friend.

But it suddenly occurred to Dirk that he had felt this before. It almost felt too good. Too calm. Like the eye of a storm. It had all been going so well, and he could feel something bad was bound to happen very soon. But tried ignoring that feeling. The universe has given him some bonding time with Todd, and nothing was going to ruin that.

So finally, after hours of hunting, they knelt in the dirt, covered in sweat and more dirt, digging for the last piece of the puzzle. Once they dug the box from the ground and opened it like a kid at Christmas time, Todd gently picked up the cloth covered piece and uncovered it to show… light bulbs? Maybe? Honestly, they both had no idea what it was. Neither one of them were exactly technical people- they were lucky if either one of them could turn on an oven without burning down the house; that's why they normally ended up with chinese takeaway most nights. So god help them if there were no instructions in this box.

Dirk anticipated the disappointment as he fumbled around the box, looking under the bits of cloth and paper, even going so far as to dig some more of the hole with his hands. Hopefully. Maybe. Unlikely. Nope. Nothing.

He sighed.

"How are we going to fit this together? I'm not even that good at jigsaw puzzles, let alone a machine from the 1800's!" Dirk exclaimed, slightly frustrated. He was enjoying the finding and exploring part, it was almost like those Easter egg hunts he used to have as a kid. But how on Earth was he going to put together something like this?!

"You'll find a way." Todd nonchalantly tried to comfort him, "With your… power, or whatever it is. The universe will tell you how."

To Todd, the answer was just that simple, but Dirk knew it wasn't like that. That wasn't how it worked. His shoulders dropped and closed his eyes with a huff, "Why can't the universe just give me an instruction sheet or something? This is all terribly confusing."

Todd almost laughed. Of the whole case, this was the thing he thought was the confusing part?! "This isn't an Ikea table, Dirk. It isn't gonna have a step by step booklet…" Todd studied the lines on Dirk's face, most of them from worry or stress. A look came across his face that Todd hadn't seen before. It was difficult to remember that under that chippy personality was a man who was constantly worrying about the inevitable danger that could be lurking around every corner. 

"But don't worry, we'll figure it out together. Somehow."

Any time Todd showed Dirk even the slightest bit of friendship and encouragement, Dirk's face brightened a little. He had opened his eyes with slight surprise, and his mouth twisted into a shy smirk, as if trying not to show how much it meant to him. It almost made Todd sad to think that him, Todd Brotzman, was the best friend someone could have. A terrible choice really, but he supposed Dirk didn't have many choices.

"We'll just shove it together and hope it fits, if not, we'll take it apart and try it again." Todd added, "Like those toys you get as a kid, the ones where you have to put the right shapes through the right holes; we've just gotta find the right holes."

Dirk looked at him, not completely convinced, (nor really knowing the toy Todd was referring to) but nodded anyway, "Right. Yes. The holes and shapes… Yep." Dirk gave Todd a tight, unconvincing smile.

They packed up their newly found treasure with a mixture of optimism and pessimism, and headed back to the jeep, preparing themselves for the long journey back to the Ridgley.

The drive back was relatively average, which surprised Dirk. He expected at least something to happen, a car crash, a gunshot, or, god forbid Blackwing! The feeling followed him like a dark cloud looming, getting darker and darker and Dirk was waiting for the blackness to pour over him. Todd could feel the tension emanating off Dirk, and let the radio take up most of the silence.

Getting back to the Ridgley, it was like the tension bubble had popped, and Dirk was back to his normal self again. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Todd could never really read Dirk that well, he was an emotional person, but you could never tell if those emotions were his true emotions.

"So," Todd started cheerfully as Dirk brought back two cups of tea from Todd's kitchen. Todd didn't drink tea, but he supposed it was the thought that counts, Dirk sat down across from him and had a sip of well earned tea before examining the pieces splayed across the coffee table.

"We're still at the 'shove-it-together-and-hope-for-the-best' plan?" Todd asked.

Dirk had an almost smug face, "It's worked for me so far." He took another sip, "'Hope-for-the-best' is usually my strategy for everything."

"I've noticed." Said Todd. He lent down and grabbed two random pieces of machine that looked like they might fit. He studied them for a bit, looking for a socket or a plug or something, but threw both of them back on the table with a huff of defeat. "I wish this came with instructions."

Dirk gave him the 'I-know,-right?!' face. 

Dirk blinked rapidly as if someone had just plonked an idea into his head. He could feel the slight pull of the universe again, He hurriedly put down his mug, picked up a different two pieces, and instantly clicked them together. 

Todd looked at him excitedly, "Holy shit."

Dirk was just as surprised as Todd. "Indeed." He said, that damn smug smirk returning to his face.

"Do another." Todd told him, and Dirk picked up another piece, searching for a socket, and plugged it in, Todd laughed in surprise, "Okay! Okay, we're getting somewhere!"

To Todd, it seemed the universe let Dirk have a lucky day today. But Dirk still felt this whole sequence of events was just build up to something bad. It usually was in his experience, all this luck had to collapse eventually. He smiled with Todd as Todd tried to pick which pieces to use next, but for Dirk, that cloud that hung over his head was getting darker, and it was nearly black.

Yet, no Rowdies came bursting through the door, no more creepy men with electrified arrows shooting at them, nothing bad had happed by the time Dirk put the last piece in place. It made Dirk anxious. The next thing to do was turn the thing on, and who knows what would happen.

"Ready? Dirk asked nervously, the shakiness in his voice painfully obvious. He sat the machine in his lap and placed a finger gently on the on switch.

"Ready." Todd said. Dirk envied Todd's bravery at this very moment. Todd noted his hesitation, and lent over and flipped the switch for him.

Nothing happened for a second, and Todd's shoulders dropped in disappointment. But just as Dirk was about to release a sigh of relief, the machine began whirring, and the lights lit up. Numbers began flickering on one side of the machine. The air became thick, and looking around, Dirk noticed the world around began to swirl and get brighter and brighter until it was nothing but blinding light, and suddenly, everything for Todd and Dirk went black as they faded into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. I wrote this at work and I just couldn't get the feel of it right. I'd love to hear feedback on the plot or the writing! The more the merrier!

When Dirk came back to semi-consciousness, his face was smothered into the dirt, lying face down in the lumpy puddle of asphalt, soggy from the not so long ago rain, which had begun to soak into the front of his trousers and shirt… at least he hoped it was rain. The next sense that hit him was the horrid smell of… oh god, what was that smell? A barn perhaps? With a mix of… cooked food? His nose wrinkled. He could smell the tang of it in the back of his throat.

He stirred a little, wincing at the pain in his head before he opened his eyes. He turned on his back slightly to look up and around. It was a dark, extremely foggy evening, and he was in an alleyway of some kind. He looked up past the moist brick walls on either side of him to the cloudy sky above and saw the light speckles of stars beginning to show.  He could just about make out the sound of a crowd not far off, shouting and groaning and talking. He could hear English words scattered between the chatter, so that was a good sign at least.

He blinked his eyes to adjust to the sudden change from the Seattle afternoon sun beaming through Todd’s broke window, to the darkness of... wherever it was he was. He began to slowly rise up from the ground, careful not to exacerbate the dizziness. He felt as if there was a merry-go-round spinning way too fast around his head. He braced himself against one of the brick walls to steady himself and waited for his blurred double vision began to clear.

“Dirk?” a concerned voice asked, and he felt someone rush to his side and grab his arm. It was Todd. Dirk looked over to Todd with heavy lidded eyes and gave him a weak smile. “What are the two of you doing here?” he asked. Todd checked behind him, but it was only him and Dirk, “No, Dirk, it’s only me. Just one me, thank god.”

Dirk blinked a few more times, widening his eyes, and looking around him, trying to focus on something, and turned back to Todd again. Just the one Todd this time.

“Where are we?” Dirk asked, now that his head had cleared, and his vision was normal, he took a glance around him properly, looking at the alley and beyond. The whole place looked murky and wet to the touch, and the fog gave the place an added eeriness to the area. Not far away were large bags and boxes filled with what Dirk assumed to be trash, and the odd beggar or two scrounging inside them, and on the opposite of the alley they saw two people, a man and a woman, becoming more intimate with one another than should in such a public place. It was an extremely sketchy area, and Dirk felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up as his wariness rose.

“I dunno.” Todd looked around with him, “It’s Patrick Spring’s machine, so it could be anything-”

“And this certainly doesn’t look like The Ridgley.” Dirk observed. 

“I don't recognise anything.” Todd said, and he left Dirk and cautiously continued a little way down the alley, looking around for any indication of where and when they were, “I mean, we might b-”

He was interrupted by a huge explosion of noise. Bell dongs. They filled the air, unable to hear anything else. Dirk’s eyes lit up, and instantly and he ran to Todd to tell him.

_**Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong…** _

Todd confusingly stared at Dirk as his mouth moved, but all he could hear was:

_**Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong…** _

Once the ringing in the air stopped, and the ringing in his head stopped, Todd looked at Dirk expectantly to repeat the gist of what he had just said.

“London!” Dirk said with a grin. 

“London?!” Todd yelled back, “What the hell are we doing in London?!”

Dirk looked around with wondrous awe, “I don't know. But it’s all very mysterious.” He said, and he took off behind Todd, passed the intimate couple, which Dirk now assumed was a lady of the night, and reached the end of the alley.

The alley opened up to a large London street filled with a crowd in the most beautiful costumes wandering around what looked to be a traditional Chinese market of some kind. There were stalls with crates of fruits, meats, breads, crockery, clothing, and all sorts of trinkets. Fire burned as the cooks prepared food for the market-goers, but the dead roasted pigs and ducks hanging amongst the stalls put Dirk off. Although it was certainly a more pleasant smell than the barn manure Dirk had previously smelt. He supposed he had the horse-drawn carriages to thank for that.

Red cloth lanterns hung on strings above the crowd, illuminating the soft fog around it. There was a mix of worn torn beggars roaming the market, and men in frock coats and top hats, and women in long layered dresses and corsets bustling along the muddy ground, although from the looks of it, the ground had turned more into a swamp with the amount of mud they were trekking through.

“What the heck is this? Some kind of costume party or a parade or something?” Todd asked as he came up to stand next to him.

“I don’t know. Let’s ask!” Dirk ran off and passed a parked horse-drawn carriage to the closest person. A woman in what looked to be her late 20’s, dressed in a dark navy antique frock that went from her neck to the ground, much to the dismay of the tattered muddy hem. An expensive brooch was attached to the frilled high neck of the undershirt, and a matching one poked out near the top of her hair bun. She stood out amongst the wave of Asian men and ragged workers that worked in and around the stalls.

She had, what Todd would describe as a 'resting bitch face'. He didn't really know why Dirk decided to approach her of all people.

“Excuse me, Madam,” Todd was worried Dirk was about to bowl her over. He tapped her on the shoulder like an overly excited puppy dog about to pounce on this poor lady, “but, uh, we’re in London, yes?”

And as Todd expected, the woman looked at Dirk with aversion, like a fly that had decided to buzz around her. A 5’9 fly with a bright yellow jacket.

“What a ridiculous question to ask. Of course we’re in London.” She told them.   
Todd instantly caught her accent; and her pissed off attitude.

“Right, and what’s going on here, is it like a parade? Historical drama?” Dirk asked brightly, “Because I must say, the attention to detail is amazingly accurate!”

Her distain for the two of them turned into confusion the more Dirk talked, “What on Earth are you talking about?” She snapped with annoyance, “It’s the night market. It happens every weekend.”

“Yeah, but what about the costumes?” Todd piped up and gestured to her dress, “Which is great, by the way, you look… great.”

She looked down at her attire, clearly offended by Todd’s remark. “How dare you! Costumes? This is no costume. My husband purchased this for me other week.” She looked the two of them up and down and wrinkled her nose, “If you like, I could refer you. It looks as if you two are in need of some more… fashionable attire.”

It was Dirk's turn to look down at his yellow jacket and pout at the insult.

Something wasn’t right. Todd noticed Dirk’s face turn serious as a realization hit him, and Dirk looked back up at the lady with a new question in mind. “Would you mind telling us what year it is?”

Todd’s eyes widened. He hadn’t considered time travel. Oh god, of all the things happening to them, playing Doctor Who was not what he had in mind.

“I’m sorry?" She chuckled bitterly, "My goodness, you must not be very bright.” The lady told Dirk before continuing, “It’s March 1, 1893.”

“1893?” Todd exclaimed and glared at Dirk, hoping he would have an answer or a solution, or heck, maybe the universe would be kind enough to just pull them away from this foggy, dark, shit-covered era.

The lady was clearly becoming agitated with their presence, and rising annoyance in her voice was prominent.

“Right. Thank you, ma’am.” Dirk said quickly. He tipped his hat, if he had one, and turned off towards the opposite direction, back toward the alley with Todd following just behind.

“Dirk, what are we gonna do?!” Todd was not calm. He was far from calm. If his calmness levels were colour coded, it’d be in the major red zone. 

Dirk ignored Todd and ran directly to where they had woken up in the alley. “Dirk?” Todd tried to get his attention.

“The machine, Todd, where’s the machine?!” Dirk was no less calm than Todd; his voice was high and childlike. It was clear that in all his cases, nothing like this had ever happened before. They both searched the near empty alley but came up empty. Behind the trash, across from the beggars, even checking the mud in case it has somehow sunk into the ground. But nothing appeared.

“Shit, Dirk, what are we going to do? We’re stuck in another country in 1893 with no machine to get back home. God, I don’t want to accidently sleep with my great-grandmother or something, or kill my ancestor and fade away like I was never born. This is like some serious ‘Back to the Future’ shit! What if we step on a bug and change the future? That can happen, right? Dirk?”

“Todd, you’re really not helping-” 

“I can’t believe it. A transporting time travel machine! Why the heck would Patrick Spring or Edgar Spring or whoever lead us on a wild goose chase just to find a time machine and send us back in time?!”

Dirk pondered. Todd did have a point.  _Why_  the machine? “Perhaps I plugged something in the wrong socket?” He suggested. It’s plausible, and the only valid explanation he could think of besides that the guy that hired him was a massive sadist who liked to send people back in time for no reason.

“Well, if it’s a time travelling machine, why didn’t it travel back with us?”

“Perhaps someone took it while we were unconscious?” Dirk suggested. “Oh perhaps….” He trailed off staring into the air as he tried to collect his thoughts, “It’s possible that it didn’t travel back because there is already one in this time? OooOOOh!” He exclaimed, “Solved it- well, kind of.” Dirk jumped up and down on the spot, jittering; waiting for Todd to ask.

“Solved what?”

“It's the only logical conclusion. Patrick Spring, Edgar Spring, AND Zachariah Webb are the SAME person."

"I'm sorry, what?!" Todd's mood for case-solving had declined dramatically since arriving in another timezone, and in all honesty, he couldn't give two shits about it.

"If we've time travelled, it's likely he has too; it's all connected. He’s time travelled like us, but to the future. Zachariah Webb was an inventor, he built the ever-bulb, he built the machine. But it was Patrick and Edgar Spring left us the clues in the death maze. Trust me, it makes sense. The details are a bit fuzzy, but if Zachariah built the machine in 1880's or thereabouts, in theory, we should only be a few years ahead of his actually completing the machine.” 

“And how the heck to we find it, hmm? We’re in London, Dirk. Was Zachariah Webb ever in London?!” 

“….Possibly not. But maybe the machine is!... maybe.” He said with a characteristically enthusiastic smile, but, in Todd’s mind, was completely inappropriate.

“If we don’t find the machine, Dirk, we’re gonna die here. And people usually died young. They were the type to sew maggots in wounds and call it healing- Jesus Christ!” Todd took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself.

"I think you're over-reacting just a little, Todd. I'm su-" Dirk’s words fell silent and his smile faltered as he noted Todd’s heaving breathing. “Todd...” He said softly, “A- Are you okay?” Todd’s breathing became hard and loud an out of control. His throat felt like it was closing, and he struggled just to inhale, like a rope had been tied around his neck and was tightening more and more. Todd’s energy was suddenly sucked out of him and his knees buckled.

“Todd!” Dirk grabbed hold of Todd’s arm to keep him upright as a panic washed over his best friend. Dirk watched as Todd tried to grip at an invisible force around his neck, trying to pull it away. His face became a deep shade of red, his mouth opened wide to inhale in any air it could, but to no avail.

“What can I do?” Dirk muttered. He gently lowered Todd to the ground, “I’m going to go and get help. Or some water maybe? Stay there.” Dirk flailed away down the alleyway back towards the crowd, “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”

“Dir-” The strained call to his friend fell on deaf ears as his throat closed. He shut his eyes, waiting for his attack to come to an end. Was this a panic attack, or a pararibulitis attack? Oh god, this was his karma, wasn’t it? His first proper pararibulitis attack, and there wouldn’t be a pill nor a doctor in this godforsaken century that could help him. But Dirk didn’t know that. Dirk had gone running off into the unknown for help that would inevitably be useless anyway.

After what could've been minutes of struggling on the ground, Todd could feel whispers of breath returning to his lungs, and his body loosened as quickly as it had tensed. The noose that he felt tighten around his neck was slithering away, and finally he took a deep breath as he struggled to regain his composure. “Holy shit.” He murmured.

Taking a moment to readjust himself, he sat up and immediately began looking for Dirk. He had no confidence that Dirk would come back, not in one piece anyway. Dirk was a danger magnet, and there is no way that he would find help and come back; Todd knew it. Dammit, Dirk!

He sighed. Dirk meant well, but his common sense left much to be desired.

He made his way down the alley once again, this time with a panicking jog, “Dirk?!” He called, and of course, there was no reply from the chatter of the crowd. He burst into the plethora of people aimlessly wondering the market, and he stood there, spinning in circles for any sign of the familiar bright yellow jacket.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I've only watched a little of Penny Dreadful, I'm not 100% sure of Dr. Seward's story arc, so she may be a bit OOC, but hey, I tried! I'm only here for the Dirk/Renfield crossover...

“Get off! Hands off me!” Dirk weakly struggled against the two men who were holding his arms and dragging through long, dimly lit corridors.

He thought the doctor was leading him to a hospital, but as Dirk was dragged past cells filled with sick prisoners in striped outfits. This wasn't a hospital, it was a prison.

The tips of Dirk’s shoes scraped against the floor as they dragged him down the narrow stone staircase, his shoes hitting each step along the way.

The large, rusty iron door creaked opened with age and they shoved him inside the cell and locked his wrists into shackles attached to the wall. He had enough room to get up and move around and move his arms, but his movement was severely limited, “For the last time, you have the wrong man!” Dirk pleaded with them, but neither one spoke. They were doing their job, no questions asked. ‘ _Typical’_ Dirk thought, it was reminiscent of his time at Blackwing many, many years ago. He shuddered at the thought. Although, this didn’t look like his clean, white sterile cell in Blackwing.

This cell was a classic dungeon you’d read in old tales. His bright yellow jacket was a vivid contrast against the dull grey that surrounded him. The stench hit Dirk first, the smell of musty dirt, and an unfortunate hint of urine... It was a prison cell after all. At least it seemed like it was. Dirk was unsure what the place was, and he didn't know why, out of all the prison cells they passed, he got the dungeon.

The whole room was made of sturdy stone brickwork which seemed to be permanently damp, albeit the bits of hay scattered on the ground which provided at least some dry cushioning. Above him on the wall was a single slit for a window with 3 bars blocking any chance of escape. The moon shone though the bars and cast a shadow across the whole room, and in that moment, Dirk cowered into himself as it dawned on him just how trapped he really was.

Sighing, he gently pattered the bloody cut on his forehead where one of the brutish men had hit him. It was quite unnecessary for them to do so since in comparison to their strength, Dirk had no chance of escaping their grasp.

But that woman…. It was that woman who had lead him here. Why? It all happed so quickly. Back at the market he asked directions to a doctor, and one of the market-goers has pointed him to what he assumed was her office down the road. When he found her, he asked this Seward woman for help. And she said she would help. She told Dirk to follow her- and look where it’s lead him! Into a literal dungeon with no explanation as to why. _‘Typical, classic stupid Dirk. Trusting people blindly.’_ he mentally berated himself.

She _was_ a doctor, wasn’t she? That’s what the name plaque said on the front door. Probably not the type to help Todd now that he thought about it- ‘ _Oh god, Todd!_ ’ Dirk tensed and sat up in realization, ‘ _Todd is in trouble. I need to get help. I need to get back._ ’ Dirk’s eyes bulged as he frantically looked around the shadowed cell for any clue for a way out, more desperate now.

And that’s when the piercing squeak filled the room as the door opened.

Dirk would’ve been ecstatic to see the door open so he could plan a way to escape, if it weren’t for the click of small heels followed by the sight of that doctor woman entering, her eyes going straight to him. She was dressed for the cold harsh winter, clad in a long black frock coat with matching gloves, and a short bowl haircut which highlighted the angles on her face and the sharpness of her eyes.

Dirk shakily rushed his words, “Y- You _are_ a Doctor, right? My friend is hurt, he needs help.” His voice was timid and shaky, and he doubted that she even heard him at all.

Her intimidating gravitas instantly overpowered the room, and Dirk could feel her presence. She slowly made her way to centre of the cell, far enough away that Dirk wouldn’t be able to reach her if he tried, and she stood there looking directly at Dirk with stern eyes. He felt a frightful tremble rush through him. 

“Mr. Renfield.” She addressed him. “I’m surprised to see you out and about already. But I thought we had an agreement.”

Dirk blinked in surprise. Her manner was surprisingly polite, yet still cold and firm. He waited for more information from her. It seemed like she had met him before, or at least she thought she had.

“You look different; healthier even. Have you been seeing Dr. Jyrkell for treatment and assessment?”

“I, uh…” He stared at her confused as ever. Confusion was an emotion Dirk was familiar with, but never had he ever found himself in a position like this.  Mistaken identity, yes, but never like this. He looked around, searching for something to say as he fiddled nervously with his fingers.

“Um… My name is Dirk Gently. I’m a detective.” He tried to sound as mannerly as he could, all things considered.

He could see that had caught her extremely off guard, but she kept her composure. “I beg your pardon?” 

Dirk continued to lightly smile as he re-introduced himself, “My name is Dirk Gently. I’m a holistic detective. I’m here with my friend Todd. We’re on a case. This is just a clear case of mistaken identity, it happens all the time with me really. I was once mistaken fo-”

“-Enough.” She interrupted his ramblings, and Dirk immediately shut his mouth and nodded.

She stood there staring at Dirk for a while, as if studying his face, and he shifted uncomfortably as she gazed. The woman cautiously stepped closer, leaning in to inspect him, as if looking for something to prove his lies. He avoided her eyes as much as he could, but she suddenly gripped him firmly by the chin and forced him to look at her, and he did. With squished cheeks and a trembling bottom lip, he stared back at her with scared, watering eyes as fear crept its way back into the pit of his stomach.

 He saw her sigh once she had found, or not found, what she was looking for. She backed up to her previous spot in the room away from him.

“I know this is inconvenient, but for the time being, you will be locked up here until further notice.”  

“But,” Dirk’s face dropped, “Todd. I have to help Todd, he’s in trouble. You said you were a doctor.” Dirk's pleads grew more frantic as she began to leave, but, as he expected, she continued to walk away without looking back.

“I’ll be back shorty.” She announced, and she bolted the door behind her as she left the room, leaving Dirk alone once again. He thumped himself back against the wall, ignoring the dampness soaking through his clothes. He looked down at his now mud stained trousers and shirt. He tried to brush some of the dirt off him, but in the end just poked his finger though one of the small frayed holed in his trousers. He was wet, dirty, dishevelled, bloody, and bruised.

His eyes twitched as they began to well up and sting with tears as he tried not to cry. Crying was not something he did often, but as he sat there on the sparse pieces of hay, 100 or so years in the past, watching the moonlight slowly disappear as shadows moved across the sky, Dirk began to realise just how much trouble he was actually in, and just how much trouble Todd could be in if he didn’t find him soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally meet! This is the bit I've been waiting for!

Dirk awoke with a jolt. He was surprised to find that he had somehow fallen asleep, in such a disgusting dampness; he ruled it down to most likely passing out from exhaustion. He yawned lightly and rolled his shoulders, stretching out any kinks that sleeping on a stone ground in a dungeon with your wrists shackled into chains might do.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted to a sunnier, yet still characteristically gloomy cell and could see the room a little more clearly. There were large cracks along the walls, some of which were crumbling in some places. There was a small empty stool across the room, and puddles of dampness against the grooves of the stones, and in the corner- _‘oh my god, are those bones?!’_

Dirk forced himself to look away from the cell’s lesser fortunate former tenants.

But then something else caught his eye.

A shadow.

A figure.

Dirk’s breathing froze as he stared at the dark figure like a deer in headlights. He couldn’t make out any details, but it was sitting in the corner staring back at him, although it seemed the person was in the same situation as himself; shackled and imprisoned.

“Good morning.” It said in a dull, docile tone, and Dirk gasped and instantly retreated away from it, scampering across the floor as far as he could from it. But the universe, the holistic intuition, was telling him to go closer. Dirk understandably ignored the feeling. 

“Mr. Gently, isn’t it?” the figure spoke again. Dirk’s breath was caught in his throat, scared that any sudden movement or noise would lead to his untimely demise.

“D-Dirk, please.” He softly and politely introduced himself, stammering through his sentence and shuddering breaths.

The figure stood up slowly and once it did, Dirk could see its face in the morning sunshine that shone through the barred window. “Oh.” He commented in awe.

 The figure -the man- was about Dirk’s height, had the same body shape as Dirk, and, most strange, the same face. It was his face, but it wasn’t. But what frightened Dirk the most was that the man was bound in a straight-jacket.

“Well now,” The man cooed softly, “This is quite an interesting dilemma, isn’t it?” The man’s movements were serpent-like as he stepped closer towards Dirk, much like the doctor had done before, and studied his face with an ominous smile. Dirk, much to his dismay, couldn’t help but stare back at the man who looked uncannily like him. The same flat eyebrows, the same bowed lips, the same slightly round-tipped nose, the same jaw line and curvature of the ears.

“What are you?” Dirk tried to hide the shakiness from his voice but was still intimidated by the doppelgänger standing across from him. It was clear that the man was ill… or not human. His skin was a deathly pale, an almost green colour, with long dark blue veins that travelled from the dark red rings around his eyes and down past his neck. His eyes were an unnatural pale icy green, and they glared at Dirk intensely.

The man dropped quickly, kneeling directly in front of him. “I’m one of the night creatures.” He enthusiastically told him and shot out a menacing chuckle. “But what about you, Sir?” His chuckled dispelled as he continued to inspect Dirk, looking him up and down, watching his movements, “What are you?”

He was so close that Dirk could feel the man’s breath on his face. It smelled of death. He wasn’t sure if that was because of _what_ he was, or because the dental hygiene in this century wasn’t exactly up to par.

He could see the moist beads of sweat collecting on the man’s skin, and the blood gently flowing through the visible veins.

“Uh… Human?” Dirk responded cautiously, unsure of how else to answer. The man moved in closer, nearly nose to nose with the detective, and sniffed deeply.

It was then their conversation was cut short with the iron door creaked once more, and in came the Doctor, her heels clicking again as she entered. Her face was just as cold and stern as the night before. 

In her hand she held a small rolled up piece of cloth clearly concealing items or tools of some kind. But Dirk was grateful for the Doctor’s timely entrance. He was still intimidated by her, since she was the one who put him here in the first place, but he was more terrified of the man currently sniffing him, and Dirk was more than glad to have someone divert this man’s attention away from him.

The man on the other hand was unfazed by her entrance and continued to stare uncomfortably close at Dirk, sniffing around him.

“Mr. Renfield.” She called, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the small stool across the room and rolled out her cloth. Dirk couldn’t see what it was in front if her, but he noticed a small shine reflecting the sunlight. 

‘R _enfield?_ ’ Dirk thought. He glanced between the Doctor and the… man, if he was a man. ‘ _No wonder she mistook me for him. He’s basically a twin._ ’ He thought to himself, ‘ _Except I have better fashion. And better teeth._ ’

The Doctor looked over to the two of them, “Mr. Renfield. Look at me.” The impatience in voice rose, like a mother scolding a child. The man, Renfield, impassively craned his neck slowly to meet her gaze, “Good morning, Doctor.” 

The Doctor held what looked to be a small syringe in her petite hand, and Dirk nearly passed out from the sight of it. It was shiny and long, and he began to internally panic with anticipation as he watched the glimmer of the needle.

“Have I been a good boy, Doctor? Is this a present for me?” Renfield gestured to Dirk and looked at him with hungry eyes, cocking his head and licking his lips with eagerness, “Or a meal, perhaps?”

“Mr. Renfield!” Dirk jumped as she yelled, and to his surprise, Renfield backed away from him like a cowering dog, quickly retreating to his original spot in the shadows. “Need I remind you your sessions with Dr. Jerkyll?”

Renfield shook with powerless anger as he stared her down, “I’m sure he would be displeased to hear of your lack of progress outside of his lab.” Renfield looked down in defeat. “Perhaps I should suggest increasing the dosage of your treatment.”

“-No!” Renfield shouted back at her, visibly shaking with anger. His eyes had become paler and his bulging veins darker.

Dirk felt like he was in the middle of a fight between a mother and son, and he sat there uncomfortably, waiting for something else to happen. He still wasn’t sure why he was here.

Renfield had caught a glance at the syringe in the Doctor’s hands and smirked, “This again?” His mood had quickly spun around from anger, into a patronising chuckle, “Why bother? Is it guilt, perhaps? Guilt for me? For Miss Ives? For this man you’ve clearly dragged here against his will?”

The Doctor kept her composure, and instead, she turned her attention onto Dirk. Her face became friendlier, and any intimidation that Dirk felt towards her previously instantly washed away as she looked at him with soft eyes.

“Mr. Gently.” She said, “My name is Dr. Seward. I’m a psychologist. I mainly deal with patients in need of psychological care, helping them and guiding them to mental stability the best I can. But recently, I’ve discovered a whole other realm of truths. Truths that have been hidden from humanity for centuries, but have always been there, hiding in the darkness. Vampires. Werewolves.”

Dirk looked at her sceptically but nodded anyway. He had had his fair share of odd things happen, and supernatural creatures didn’t come as too much of a surprise to him.

“I’ve learned those truths can be harmful if not dealt with properly. People get hurt. People die.” She swallowed a small lump in her throat. It seemed that was something she learned the hard way. Dirk knew that feeling too.

“What I need from you, Mr. Gently, is information. This is most certainly a strange occurrence, I know, but we can’t leave anything to chance. We are in the midst of clearing out or curing most of those infected, and given you and Mr. Renfield’s uncanny resemblance, and quite frankily your strange manner and attire, we can’t rule anything out. I’m sure you understand.” She slowly knelt down beside Dirk, and he saw compassion in her eyes. Compassion, but determination, “This will be painless, I assure you.”

He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He saw her hand move to his neck and she pushed his head to the side. From the corner of his eye he saw the syringe inches away from him. But there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. He was shackled down and scared stiff. But he supposed, if this was going to prove his innocence then he might as well get it over and done with. There was literally nothing else he could do expect sit there and take it; but it couldn’t be any worse than the things Blackwing did to him.

He grunted loudly and painfully as the needle pierced his skin and slid deep into the side of his neck. He could hear the click, click, click of the syringe as she pushed, despersing the fluid, and Dirk felt whatever it was in the syringe begin to flow through him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, I apologise. I hope you enjoy anyway!

Todd walked up to the front entrance to the Doctor’s office. The sun was beginning to rise, shining soft rays of light though the city, and the birds sung their chirps to one another. Todd cursed them under his breath. After running around all night looking for Dirk and asking questions to anyone that would listen, he finally was able to talk to one of the stall owners who apparently overheard Dirk talking to a lady about a nearby doctor. Apparently, the only doctor around this area was here in this building. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was the best lead Todd had all night.

“‘Dr. Florence Seward.’” He read aloud, reading the engraved plaque beside the door. “Well, at least I’m kinda on the right track.” He opened the front door and an instant rush of warm air hit him. He rushed inside and involuntarily shivered. He hadn’t realised just how freezing it was outside. Coming from a sunny Seattle summer to London in winter, with no heaters or global warming to keep him warm, was a nightmare.

He took a moment in the small front foyer to defrost himself. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. The warmth began to intensify his tiredness and was ready to curl up in his bed. His eyes were red and stinging with exhaustion, his shoes and clothes were covered under a thick layer of grime and mud, the hairs on his arms and neck were standing due to the cold, and his breath was sporadic from running around all night from what felt like one side of London to the other. And, oh god, he was already sick of smelling horse shit everywhere he went, it was like walking around a goddamn zoo. At least he hoped it was only horses- oh god, when were toilets invented? Had toilets made their way to London by 1893? He crossed his legs in hopes of not needing to go to the bathroom at any point, and he shook away the thought as not to jinx himself.

He moved to the entrance of the office and cautiously opened the door into the reception part of the floor. There was a medium sized mahogany desk in front of huge double wooden doors, which he assumed was the Doctor’s office, and across on the other side of the room were a few wooden waiting chairs. It was relatively posh in comparison to the swamp-like market he had been running around. The room was covered in lovely patterned wallpaper, lined with dark polished skirting boards, and sconce lamps on each wall lightening the room with a warm, inviting glow. He almost felt bad for dripping bits of mud onto the rug.

“May I help you, Sir?” Todd jumped as he noticed the smallish, weasel-like man in his mid 30’s sitting behind the desk. His greasy hair was combed back flat against his scalp, and his clothing was a mixed shade of dull browns which blended well into the wooden furniture around him. His clothes were neat and proper but looking closer you’d notice buttons in the wrong holes, and small burnt cigarette holes near the cuffs of his suit. He dressed the part but was clearly out of place in such a refined place like this. Although with a patient smile the man looked up from the paperwork scattered around him and adjusted his round glasses as he politely awaited Todd’s response.

“Hey. Uh, yeah.” Todd walked further into the room, clandestinely scanning the place for any sign of Dirk, “I’m looking for a friend of mine. About this tall. Lanky. Loud. With a disgustingly yellow jacket and green jeans. He probably looked a lost giraffe.”

The man, clearly confused by Todd’s unusual demeanour, graciously smiled and replied, “Oh yes, that does sound familiar!”

Todd couldn’t help but chuckle with disbelief. What’s the chances of actually finding someone with information on Dirk!

“That’s great! Could you tell me where he is?”

The receptionist shuffled a few papers together and put them away quickly into one of the desk draws, “Miss -ahem- _Dr_. Seward left here only a few minutes ago for the prison's hospital. She was quite aloof actually, she even cancelled all today’s appointments. Said an odd man in a brightly coloured, very strange looking outfit came bursting in here last night. But she told me it was strictly on a ‘need-to-know’ basis and not to… tell… anyone. _Oh_.” The man’s voice faded as he realised, his eyes wide and embarrassed.

“A prison?!” Todd rushed to the receptionist and grabbed him by the collar, ripping him from his chair, bringing him nose to nose, “You need to tell me where it is. Now!” He could feel the bulging of his veins pop from his neck as he yelled. His blue eyes pierced the receptionist’s grey ones as he threateningly glared at him.

The man instantly cowered and scrambled blindly back into his desk draw for a piece of paper and a fountain pen, and Todd let him go to watch him draw what looked to be a map, “F-from here, you pass Hawthorne street and go down La Trobe lane,” He continued to explain as he drew, dipping his pen in his inkwell after every few lines, his hands shaking as Todd stood menacingly over him, “Go past ‘The Green Dragon’ pub, and if you stand across the road from Wakefield street, you should see it.” His voice shook as he spoke, "The hospital has cells for prisoners far beneath the normal hospital, but you'll have to enter via the prison to get to them." The man gingerly looked up at Todd from beneath his thick rimmed glasses, his eyes silently pleading not to be hurt. It was kind of pathetic really. Todd couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man.

He grimaced at the receptionist and snatched the map from the desk top to inspected it, making sure he could at least make some sense of it before storming out of the room back into the cold. Now that he had the information he needed, he ran down the front stairs with energy back in his step, and he passed the front gate and began walking down Hawthorne street, his eyes darting from his surroundings back to the map.

“I’m coming, Dirk. Hang on.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hypnosis in fics. It's not written enough. So here's my attempt! (also, Dr. Seward may be ooc)  
> Also, I live for your opinions, so let me know what you think!

Dirk’s eyes fluttered. He felt faint. He could feel his limbs becoming limp and his breathing became slow and deep. It must've been a sedative. There was a haziness floating though his head, and the world around him was fuzzy, albeit for Dr. Seward, who was now sitting on the stool in front of him, ‘ _When had she moved? Was Renfield still here?’_ He moved his head towards Renfield’s spot in the shadow, and from the looks of it, he was chained up further away from Dirk on the other side of the room, probably in fear that he’d interfere with… whatever _this_ was.

It was like time was moving slowly around him, but his heart was still beating fast. It reminded him of Blackwing and their experiments. Not that he remembered the experiments in detail, (he tried too hard to forget that time in his life), but he remembered the feeling before experimentation. The terror in the pit of his stomach as they opened his cell door to drag him to the room with the numbers, the heavy beat of his heart in his chest as they strapped him down into the chair.

This was the same feeling.

“Mr Gently.”

Dirk looked up at the Doctor with half-lidded eyes and stared into hers. His head felt heavy and began swaying with drowsiness, his reactions were sluggish, and Dirk could feel his mood become compliant; obedient even.

“Now, hypnosis is a dangerous procedure, and I like to avoid it when possible. So, while you’re in a calm, compliant state, I’m going to give you the chance to voluntarily tell me whether you have any affiliation with Dracula? Or maybe you have information about him, or about other creatures and events that may help us?”

He was innocent of whatever they were accusing him of, but he still wasn’t sure what they wanted from him, what type of informa- _‘Oh…what if they find out I’m from the future?!_ ’ Shit. He hadn’t thought of that! Oh god, what would they do to him if they found out? Internally, Dirk began to panic again, but the heaviness of his body kept him lethargic, _‘Don’t tell her, you can’t tell her.’_ He demanded to himself, _‘They mustn’t find out…’_

“Don’t forget that whether or not you’re willing, I will extract the information from you somehow. I would prefer not to go to extreme measures, but I have crossed that line before, and I am willing to do so again if it means saving lives.”

“No.” He told her, “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. I am just a normal man from the city of London.” He was never good at lying, “Pip-pip, cheerio, and all that.”

He weakly smiled his most charming smile at her, but needless to say, she clearly wasn’t convinced.

She sighed and stared back at Dirk, making sure she had his undivided attention and began tapping the tips of her nails rhythmically on the arm of the stool, “Listen to the sound. Focus on it. I am going to delve into your mind and I may find memories you’ve forgotten. Memories you’ve supressed. So this may be emotional, but keep focused on the tapping.”

He resisted, he tried so hard, but his body was tired, and he was disappointed at how easily he succumbed to the _tap, tap, tap_ of her fingers. He had yielded into her hypnosis. His eyes fluttered closed and his unnerved breathing slowed down. He no longer had control. His mind became blank as he focused on the _tap, tap, tap_.

“Mr. Gently, can you hear me?” She asked. _Tap, tap, tap._

“Yes.”

He could feel her probing his mind, as if finding the right questions and right words to say. She had somehow wormed her way in and Dirk had no way to shake her out.

“Lets start with your identity. Tell me, is Dirk Gently your real name?” Her voice was soft and passive.

He automatically responded, “No. My name is Svlad Cjelli. But,”

He paused. _Tap, tap._

“But I am no longer him. I am not Svlad anymore.” He gently looked up at the Doctor with teary eyes, still deeply succumb to the _tap, tap, tap._

“Are you human?”

“I…” Dirk trailed off, “I think so. I’m not sure.” His blank eyes stared at hers as she became increasingly worried.

 _Tap, tap, tap, tap,_ “What else could you be?”

“A weapon.” Dirk responded, “They always told me I was a weapon; that I was dangerous. Like a leaf on the stream of creation ready to do their bidding.” A single tear fell from his cheek.

“A weapon?” The sound of surprise was not hidden in her voice. _Tap, tap, tap, tap,_ “Who told you these things? Was it your Master?”

Dirk would’ve scoffed at the idea if he wasn’t so deeply and emotionally entranced with the _tap, tap, tap_ , “Blackwing; a government facility.” Memories of his youth in Blackwing began to flash through his mind, “They locked me in a cell for years on end. They shocked me, experimented on me, prodded me, they tried to use my ability for their own gain.”

He began to shake violently as the supressed memories came flooding back. It was too much, too many painful thoughts.

“They tortured me.” A tear dropped from his cheek.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap._

“And what is your ability?”

“They told me I was psychic. But I’m not. I am… _something_. I see holistic connections between unconnected things. I can’t control it. That’s not how it works.”

 _Tap, tap, tap_. “They used me.”

“Were you given these powers by another?”

“No. I’ve always been like this. The universe chose me.”

There was a silence as the Doctor thought carefully of what to say next.

 _Tap, tap, tap_.

Dirk kept his eyes on hers, but he wasn’t really seeing her. He was too focused on the thoughts. He began to cower as a few more tears fell freely from his eyes. _Tap, tap, tap_. These were memories he’d tried so hard to forget. The details of Blackwing. Of their experiments. But he was no longer that lanky young boy stuck in a lab like a rat. He was not Svlad. He was not a weapon. He was Dirk.

He felt Dr. Seward leave her stool and kneel in front of him, soothingly holding his hand. The feeling of warm skin contact brought Dirk back into the trance, feeling somewhat safe again. Yet she continued to tap rhythmically on the skin of his knuckles. _Tap, tap, tap._

“I am sorry.” She said, “That sounds dreadful.” Her voice was sincere and full of compassion, as if she had just witnessed Dirk’s traumatic memories first-hand.

There was an awkward silence as the Doctor thought of the next question. _Tap, tap, tap._

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

Dirk fought with himself; god, did he fight. He tried supressing the answer, trying to keep the truth buried deep inside his chest. He was a detective, he was _supposed_ to protect and save people...  But unfortunately, his body forced out the answer.

“Yes.” He admitted, his voice was small and meek as a croaky whisper escaped him, “But I don’t mean to. It’s usually in self-defence, you see. You have to believe me.” His begging eyes pleased with her to believe him, and voice rose as the memories of all those he’d killed came into his head. Hell, not 24 hours ago he threw kitten-shark at two men who were ripped into pieces in front of him… But it was self-defence. _Tap, tap, tap_ … And that didn’t include those who died by the choices and actions he made. Those who died at Blackwing’s hands because they were after _him_.

He had caused so much bloodshed in his life, and he began to shake again as the thoughts ran through his mind of machine guns and snipers and bombs and electrified crossbows and knives and-

Dr. Seward quickly ripped her hand away and backed up so fast the stool behind her toppled over. He saw terror in her eyes.

“Mr. Gently. Come back now please.” He voice was composed but shaky, “Come back to me.”

The tapping had stopped, and the sudden break of physical contact jolted Dirk awake from his trance. He still felt tired and fatigued, but his thoughts were now his own, and he could feel life tingling back into his body. She was no longer probing inside. But she _had_ probed, and Dirk didn’t know what she had seen. But the fear on her face was a clear indication that something shook her.

“I-” She began to speak, though unsure of what to say, “I need to speak with Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Frankenstein. They’ll have some idea of what to do with you.” Her movements became hurried, as if she was rushed for time, as if needing to leave the room as soon as possible.

“You two will stay here.” She said, her sharp angular eyes were wide as she quickly packed up her tools, and her coat spun around her as she turned to point accusingly at Renfield, who’s eyes glistened in the darkness as he looked up, “And you, Mr. Renfield, I will bring Dr. Jekyll here so he can take you back for treatment like we discussed.” Her mouth was tight, and her words became hard and hostile.

“I will be back soon, Gentlemen. I will ask the men outside to keep a _close_ eye on you.” The door was unbolted and creaked loudly once more as she swiftly left the cell. The iron door slammed heavily behind her, and Dirk heard clicks and bolts being locked from the other side.

Her departure was sudden, but Dirk was relieved for her to be gone. The hypnosis session had been quite intense, and Dirk instantly regretted every word that was forcefully ripped from his mouth.

He lifted his heavy arm and rubbed the still lightly weeping puncture wound on his neck, wincing at the bruise. His strained eyes wanted to close, to rest, but the rest of his body tremored as the recently re-discovered detailed memories of Blackwing’s experiments floated around his head. The torture he endured.

But Dirk tried to calm himself. There was no use dwelling on his past when what he needed was to think of an escape. There had to be an escape. He needed to Find Todd. Todd was his main priority right now.

There was a silence between the two men as they sat there on the damp cell floor. Dirk was looking around, searching for a way of escape, but he could feel Renfield’s eyes on him, he could see the light green glimmer, like a cat in the darkness, “Well now, that was quite interesting.” Renfield spoke. Now that the Doctor was out of the room, he returned to his cheeky playful demeanour, “I’ve never seen her like that before.”

Dirk ignored him and continued to look around and rub his neck. Something about the sting of the bruise comforted him, kept his mind at bay. Away from the intruding thoughts.

His attention diverted when Renfield shuffled closer, out of the darkness and towards Dirk. He could see Renfield’s face lightly illuminated by the sunshine glow; his pale, deathly face.

“It’s interesting, isn’t it? How she gets into your head.”

Dirk looked away and focused on the bruise.

“She sees things, you know, when she’s in there. She sees what you see, at least that what it feels like.” He chuckled, “You’ll be back to yourself in no time. Although it takes a while before it the effect wears off.”

Dirk stopped rubbing. He didn’t have a while. He needed to get to Todd. He couldn’t handle another session with the Doctor and her doctor friends.

“I don’t have that long.” He told Renfield, and looked at the sickly pale man across from him, “I need to get out of here. Now. I need to find Todd.” And instantly Renfield’s grin turned wide, not unlike the Cheshire cat, and his pale eyes sparkled with mischief,

“Why didn’t you say so?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out the dungeons/prisons are also connected to a hospital! This little detail has been added to this chapter and previous ones. Nothing too major though. (This is what I get for not watching PD).

Standing across from ‘The Green Dragon’ pub on Wakefield street, Todd glanced at the map once more. His eyes darting from the piece of paper to the street in front of him. The receptionist’s scribbles were horrendously inaccurate, though having Todd threateningly looming over the poor man probably didn’t help. Nevertheless, he looked up and saw what he assumed was the way into the dungeons. Form the receptionist’s description, this was it; it was hard to miss. There was a tall, elegant iron street sign read ‘London Prison’. The name was kinda dull and left much to be desired, but the building itself was a sophisticated historic London building. It’s huge detailed roof rose higher than the other buildings around it, with a large spire atop it, and a spot for a clock in the centre column of the roof. It was one of the major buildings on the street and stood at the top of ascending stairs, with old-fashioned columns at the entrance; it probably stood just as tall and intact back in 2016…  Todd knitted his brows, ‘ _Was is technically ‘back in 2016’ or ‘forward in 2016’? Nevermind.’_

He couldn’t see any entrance to the hospital, but assumed it was around the back of the building, hidden by the vastness of the prison in front of him.

Patrolling the outer perimeter of the prison, Todd could see policemen in the classic button-up black uniforms with those little helmets with the spike on the top. He couldn’t help but chuckle; it just looked so comedic, like something you’d see out of a cheesy 1970’s comedy. But his smile died down once he tried to actually come up with a plan on how to get in and find Dirk. Did he break in? Sneak in? Use a disguise? Hide in the shadows? Shit, this wasn’t his thing, this was Dirk’s. Dirk was the detective that wanted to go on adventures and break into places he shouldn't be; that is how they met after all.

Todd thought back to his apartment just after they had collected the machine. Dirk had said he just ‘hopes for the best’… Hmm, perhaps Todd had to try to some holistic detecting of his own. Maybe he should just follow his gut and hope for the best.

Without really thinking his plan through, he walked up the stairs and to a small group of policemen chatting away and interrupted them bluntly, asking how to get in.

“Hello, officers." He greeted, a bit too cherrily for such a cold foggy morning, "I have a friend I’d like to visit in the dungeon. Could you tell me how to get there?” God, could he sound more suss?

The first thing the three of them did was look Todd up and down. Their faces were twisted into bewilderment.  He looked down at himself as well and thought perhaps he needed to borrow some more era appropriate clothes later on. Jeans and a flannel shirt didnt seem to cut it.

“Sorry, mate.” The fatter of the three responded, “Dungeon’s off limits to guests, and the prison’s closed. It ain’t taking no visitors today. Come back on Monday.”

Shit. Well, what did he expect.

“No worries.” Todd replied, “Have a good day.” he turned to walk away, and the three officers continued to gossip. He wasn’t about to push or beg them any further in case they began to get suspicious. Okay, plan A was gone. Time for plan B.

He strolled down the stairs, hands in pockets, looking as casual as he could. He scanned around the area, looking around for something. Anything. He looked around the building for something to climb or a crack to crawl through. Of course he saw nothing. It was a secure prison after all. And he wasn’t as young as he used to be, so it looked like breaking in wasn’t an option.

But that’s when he spotted a semi-conscious middle-aged man lying on the ground, an empty booze bottle gently falling out of his hands. His greying hair was wiry, and his tattered clothes hung off his fragile body.  He looked blind drunk, and on the brink of passing out, and Todd was sure he could smell the stench of alcohol and sweat on him from a few meters away.

Now, Todd’s moral compass had always been a little sketchy, and as guilty as he felt about this idea, he justified it as long as it got Dirk out of there. He went up to the man, and with an awkward smile, he struck up a casual conversation.

“ _Brrr_. Cold out, isn’t it?”

“Fuck off.” The man slurred at him forcefully.

Todd was taken aback. Well. Not the reaction he was expecting. Looks like it’s to the point.

“Look, I wanna make you a deal. I’ll give you some money for alcohol or whatever in exchange for your coat.” Taking a coat from a potentially homeless beggar sounded bad, but in all honesty, the coat had more holes than it had fabric, so Todd considered it was a pretty good deal.

The beggar’s interest perked and groggily sat up with curiosity, looking at Todd with a doubtful glare. “Let’s see it.” He demanded, instantly sobering up a little, and held out his grotty, peeling, nail-bitten hand expectantly.

Todd grabbed his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and produced a few quarters, hoping the man was too out of it to notice.  He jingled the collection of coins in his hand and placed them into the beggar’s.

Within a second, the beggar noticed, “What the fuck is this?!” He spat at Todd. He went to throw the coins away before Todd interrupted him, “Wait!” The beggar stopped and waited for an explanation.

“Those are American coins. I’m from America. And the exchange rate is pretty good. That’s a good deal. I’d take it if I were you. You could probably buy another jacket… or another bottle of wine.” The pleading in Todd’s eyes, hoping that he’d believe the lie didn’t go unnoticed by the beggar who continued and threw the coins back at Todd, which scattered and rolled all around him.

“You thieving little _git_!” The man began to shout. Todd looked over and saw the situation was drawing the unwanted attention of quite a few policemen.

“What do you take me for, an idiot?!-”

“SHHH!” Todd tried to hush him, “Shut up, okay. I just need the jacket. Please. Please, dude, I dunno what else to give you, I don’t have any shillings or whatever it is you use. I just…” His explanations began to wear out. He didn’t know how to explain and sighed in defeat instead.

But the beggar stopped shouting and looked at him curiously, lowing his voice. His eyes were still suspicious, “What do you need the jacket for, anyway?” He croaked. Todd cringed as he noticed just how disgustingly yellow this guy’s teeth were. It reminded him of Dirk’s jacket. Oh god, he’ll never look at that jacket the same way again. If he ever saw it again.

“I need…” He tried to find the right words without revealing his plan, “I need it for…” He subconsciously glanced over to the prison and the police guards, who had luckily taken their gazes off the two of them.

“Ahhh.” The beggar understood, and a wide smile grew on his face, “A bit of dodgin’ the pigs, eh?” He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly, “Gotta visit a pal in the brig?”

Todd nodded. He’d pretty much guessed it, so there was no point denying it anyway, “Yeah.” He admitted.

The beggar gestured Todd to lean in closer, and against Todd’s better judgment, he did, leaning in closer. The closer he got, the more he tried not to breath in the stench. It was making his eyes water.

“Look,” The beggar began to bargain with him, “I’ll give you my coat to get into the prison, but only if you find me mate, Reggie. The bastards took him in for stealing, but he was only tryin’ to feed his kids, y’know. A missing bit of bread didn’t harm nobody.”

Todd nodded slowly, “You want me to find your friend and free him?” How the hell was he going to find a second person? He barely knew how to find the person _he_ was looking for! He sighed, seriously contemplating whether it was worth it.

“I dunno. The place is pretty massive.” Todd examined the building in front of him. It was huge. Todd had no faith that he’d find Dirk, let alone Reggie.

“He’s in cell 135A last time I checked. I only visited him once. They’ve got him wearin' those bleeding ugly striped pyjamas, they ‘ave. He’s a bald man in his 50’s. Tattoo of an anchor on his neck.”

Todd thought about it. He could just say yes, take the coat and brake his promise; it’s not like he’ll ever see the beggar again. But Todd didn’t want to lie to people; not anymore. The locked up dude only wanted to feed his kids.

“Fine. I’ll try and look for Reggie.”

The beggar howled in delight, revealing all his yellow teeth; well, the ones that weren’t missing, “Good on ya’, son, I knew you would!’ he patted Todd on the shoulder and stood up to strip off his jacket and give it to Todd.

Todd took it with delicate fingers, remebering that the blinding smell would transfer with the jacket. Holding his breath, he drapped the jacket over himself and- oh god, it was warm and damp. Todd tried not to retch as he buttoned it up to cover the blue flannel he was currently wearing.

Todd looked down at his new outfit, and, deciding the blueness of his jeans still stood out against the drabness of London, he bent down and scooped gutter sludge onto his trousers until they were considerably blackened and filthy.

“How do I look?” He asked, spinning on the spot. He tried not to gag at the smell of homeless man body odour and gutter slop that covered him.

“Like a true street-rat.” The beggar told him, “Right, lad, I’ll distract the guards, you slip in and find Reggie.” The beggar’s smile was wide, and his eyes still drunkenly glazed. Todd nodded in response, ready for action.

The beggar looked over to the police and began running in their direction, shouting gibberish at the top of his lungs and stripping off the rest of his clothes as he did.

“ _wha_ -Jesus.” Todd muttered as he watched the events unfold. The dude was an absolute mad man.

He watched the beggar, now in the full-frontal nude, with his bits and pieces flopping all over the place as he expertly sliped and slid away like a bar of soap from the multitude of police officers that were chasing after him. They pathetically tried grabbing at him as he ran in circles.

A smirk creeped it’s way onto Todd face as he watched absurdity, and, keeping to the shadows, he slowly snuck his way up the stairs as the police were led away from the entrance. He lightly jiggled the handle until it turned, and he quickly slipped inside the prison.

_'Holy shit, I can't believe that worked.'_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started back at university since my last updates, so new chapters will take longer to upload. But don't worry, I still plan on finishing the story! Please comment (I love getting comments) on how you like it and what you'd like to see next!

The prison’s entrance lead to a small dimly lit foyer. It was surprisingly cosy, glowing in an amber light from the candle sconces above. But there was a large, ominous iron door in the centre of the wall leading into what Todd assumed to be the main prison block. He could hear shouting and yelling. It made his chest drop as he heard the cries and pleads for help, the whimpers and taunts and barks of insanity echoed through the halls like some demonic nightmare.

Looking around the empty room, he noticed two hallways on either side of the room. Luckily, the one on the left side read ‘Administration’, and the one on the right read ‘Hospital’.  Perfect. The receptionist had said the prison’s hospital, so this _has_ to be the place!

Crouching cautiously, he slipped into the hallway, tiptoeing down one small flight of stairs and down. The amber light was slowly disappearing, only to be replaced with a sickly green glow. Even with the sun shining through the small barred windows, it was swallowed by the shadows.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he entered a small corridor. It had a row of cells on one side of the wall, all squished against one another. Todd made a conscious effort to press up against the walls and keep to the shadows, careful not to be seen by the prisoners. He didn’t want the prisoners to spot him and shout at him to let them out. Not only because it would draw attention, but there was probably a good reason as to why they were locked up in the first place. Every glance he took into the cells, he saw a bunch of stripped-clad prisoners laying on their beds, moaning in pain as fever took over them. The prisoners took no note of Todd as they seemed to be in an ill daze; could’ve been dead for all Todd knew. It certainly started to feel like he was entering a hospital.

He carefully looked into the cells one by one, hoping to find Dirk in there somewhere. He reached the end of the hallway and tiptoed his way around another corner to another corridor that looked almost identical. There was a surprisingly lack amount of guards in the building Todd noticed. Given he was entering a hospital, he supposed the prisoners were in no shape to attempt escape, they were nearly on the brink of death and could barely even move; which was lucky for Todd, not so lucky for them.

He kept following the line of cells but came to a stop when there was only a narrow doorway that lead straight into another flight of stairs. No more cells, only this one small archway to more stairs. Todd didn’t want to. He _really_ didn't want to. The hairs on his arms stood up and he felt a chill run down his spine as every inch of him told him to not go down there. He didn’t even know if Dirk was down there or not.

He looked behind him, hoping there was maybe another corridor of cells he’d missed, but nope, this was the only place he hadn’t checked. This fucking ominous narrow staircase. He sighed, and with a deep breath he took a step.

The further he descended the stairs, the more it looked like a dungeon than a prison cell, and it _certainly_ didn’t look like a part of a hospital. It got colder the further down he went. He felt he was being swallowed by the shadows.

Once he nearly reached the end, he noticed a small flame and quickly ducked out of sight as he detected a figure next to it. A guard. Just one.

Although really, the guard looked like any old guy off the street. He was sitting there in ratted clothes not unlike the coat Todd was wearing, and was reading a newspaper by the candlelight. He was probably just a civilian paid to keep an eye on the cells and that’s it. That’s what it looked like.

Bravery bubbled up inside Todd. ‘ _I can take him.’_ Todd told himself. The guard may have been taller than him, but he was definitely not stronger than him. His clothes were baggy, much like many of the beggars he’d seen on the streets, but Todd could see the man had no muscle. He’ll knock out easily.

 _‘No more playing nice’_ Todd thought, ‘ _I’m just gonna run over to him, knock the bastard out, get the keys, get Dirk, and get out. Okay._ ’ He held his breath hesitantly bur began jogging lightly on his spot in the middle of the stairwell to amp himself up, ready for the fight.

And that's when he ran down.

The guard took a double take as he saw Todd charge at him with clear intent. He dropped his paper and knocked over the lantern as he tried to scamper away from Todd, arms out to defend himself, “Whoa, what ‘re you-?”

Todd stopped him mid-sentence as he sucker-punched him in the jaw, sending a few drops of blood flying from the guard’s mouth. The guard looked back at him with dazed eyes and a now fat and broken lip what was bleeding profusely. Todd gave the man a quick smug smile before punching him once more, this time aiming for the nose, and he felt the crack of the bone under his knuckles as his fist violently collided with the man’s face. The man instantly dropped like a sack of potatoes dropping to the floor. A bloody, bruised sack of potatoes.

 _'Huh, that felt so good...'_ It was then that Todd noticed the huge pain running up his fingers and up his arm. He opened and closed his hand experimentally as he examined the light bruising beginning to form around his knuckles, and well as the light sprinkle of blood. It’d been a while since he properly punched someone. Probably not since his bandmates found out he sold their equipment. Needless to say, they weren’t too pleased about that. Names were called, and fighting endured. But that was a few years ago and Todd was a little out of practise. But he huffed in amusement at the thought.

The man groaned.

Forgetting the pain in his hand, he shook his senses back and decided the first door next to him was better than any to open first, and best to do so before the guard woke up. He reached up to unbolt the door, bolt one. Bolt two. Bolt three. Bolt four- shit. Halfway down with the bolts he noticed locks. He was missing something.

“Keys.” He muttered and turned around and began rummaging through the guard’s pockets. Jacket pocket. No. Breast pocket. No. Pants pocket. No. Back pocket- Aha! familiar jingling sound rang; the keys. Bingo.

With the keys now in hand, he reached up once more and tried out the few keys before finally unlocking the last few locks, and with one more push of the last deadbolt, Todd opened the door just a smidge, just enough to see inside, but the ear-piercing creak of the door would’ve given him away to anyone inside. He just hoped this was the right one, hoped he hadn’t just opened the door to a mass psycho killer like Jack the Ripper. That’d be just his luck, to be killed in the dungeons of an 1800’s prison. Not really how he expected to die, but just in case, he held his breath as his eyes tried to scan the room.

And that’s when he saw it. A flash of yellow.

“Todd?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quite like how this chapter turned out, but I do love comments to hear your thoughts and opinions!  
> (Mentions of blood within this chapter)

“And how are you going to get us out of here? I don’t know about you, but they clasped me in pretty tightly.” Dirk rattled his cuffs to emphasise his point. Not only were they trapped in a cell, but they were literally chained to the wall; Dirk by his wrists, and Renfield by his ankles.

He tried to forget the light grumble in his stomach. He hadn’t eaten since Dirk attempted to drink whatever Todd had put in that thermos back when they were camping together. Whatever it was, it wasn’t tea, and it wasn’t soup; it was a weird lumpy mixture of both. How Todd had the audacity to complain about Dirk’s cooking was beyond him.

Dirk felt defeated. He no longer cared about the muck he was sitting in. His clothes were filthy and his hair and face matched. If he could look into a mirror, he was sure he looked much like his quirky, unsightly friend over there. Dirk’s eyes were red rimmed from the lack of sleep, his hair was dishevelled, and his skin was pale and cold to the touch from the winter air around him.

He looked over at Renfield to examine the straightjacket that the man was clad in. Unless he was an ancestor of Houdini, Dirk didn’t have much hope of their escape.

Renfield chuckled haughtily and his head movements became sneaky and snake-like as he began to explain his plan, “We’re a lot more agile than the average man. And our strength is a lot more powerful, albeit in comparison is only a fraction to that of one’s master.” A suppressed smirk arose on Renfield’s face. Just the thought of his Master sent a small shiver down his back and his breath became so shaky with admiration. Dirk’s eyes widened uncomfortably as he felt the need to leave Renfield alone with his thoughts for a minute.  He still wasn’t quite sure what was going on or what Renfield was or who exactly the Master was; no one had really told him anything! For all he knew this could all be a master and servant sex thing; hey, he wasn’t one to judge. Todd once told him that people had all types of weird kinks and fetishes. He wasn’t sure how the conversation came up, but he remembered being especially surprised by people who liked feet. Dirk didn’t like feet. Not in that way, anyway.

His distracted thoughts we cut short as Renfield’s movements caught his gaze. He watched as Renfield stood up and began to twist his body just enough to loosen the jacket around him. Dirk stared in horror as he began to jerk from side to side trying to manoeuvre the straightjacket, bending his arms at unnatural angles, twisting and rotating in such a way that made Dirk squirm as he watched.  
Dirk’s face turned comically disgusted as he imagined the sounds of cracking bones and tearing ligaments as Renfield viciously but surprisingly gracefully rocked back and forward and side to side. It was like watching an acrobat perform as he unwrapped the jacket’s arms from his torso and unbuckled the front latch, and in record timing, Renfield was holding the jacket in his hands and aggressively threw it to the other side of the room.

With his now free hands, Renfield pulled off his loafers and socks, and, much to Dirk’s verbal disgust, began to pull the ankle shackles over his heel and down his feet, scraping skin as he went, causing blood to smear down his thin, pale, bony feet. The skin began to scrape and lightly gather up as he dragged the cuffs.

Dirk gagged. He watched small droplets of blood drip off his toes as Renfield freed one foot and then the other and stood up with a smug accomplishment.

“Ta-da.” He stood there, now in a loose undershirt that was incredibly creased from the straightjacket, and crimson feet that were more red than flesh colour. He looked over to Dirk, who had now stood up with him, and Dirk stared at him in both disgust and amazement.

“ _Urgh_. That was incredible.” Dirk commented, “And extremely disconcerting.”

Dirk was more impressed at Renfield’s complete lack of reaction. His feet were seeping blood, but it didn’t seem to concern him one bit. Dirk silently wished he had the skill to not feel pain; the number of bruises he could feel spread across his body was unpleasantly sore.

Once Renfield had placed his shoes and socks back onto his mangled feet, he made his way to Dirk and gestured for his hands, “Quick, we mustn’t delay, she may be back any minute.”

“Whoa. Uh, no.” Dirk quickly retreated his hands, “You’re not doing that to me. Look at your feet, they’re ruined. God, I hate feet! Can’t you just pull the cuffs apart or something? Anything that doesn’t involve me having to be in enormous amounts of pain and dripping in blood? I would prefer if we did that instead.”

Renfield slowly flexed his hands as if anticipating his strength, or lack thereof, and he looked down at the greenish hue that ran through his veins, and the brownish tint of dirt that covered his bitten nails.

“Before I became one of Dr. Jekyll’s experiments,” He spat with distain, “I would have been confident in opening those for you. But the treatments have diluted what I was, you see. I’m neither one or the other now; I’m not sure I can.”

Dirk’s patience was thinning, and he glanced at the door expecting to see the Doctor step through at any moment. Time was running out, “Then what are we going to do? You can’t leave me here! Just try opening them.” He stomped closer to Renfield, as far as his shackles would allow, “Just _try_!”

He looked at Renfield with pleading eyes, and Renfield solemnly looked back at him with an apologetic expression. It unnerved Dirk to see his own face stare back at him with such a look.

After a minute of silent staring, Renfield caved in.

“Don’t expect much to happen.” He told Dirk as he placed his hands gently on the cuffs against Dirk’s wrists, fingering them lightly as he anticipated the lacklustre outcome. He firmly gripped the iron and tried to bend it. Dirk could see Renfield’s muscles bulge as he struggled to make any difference to the cuffs, but to no avail. Renfield’s face began to turn a light shade of red, which looked unnatural against what seemed to be his natural pale green skin.

There was a sudden small click, and Renfield bent the cuffs, but only by a fraction, which only caused the cuffs to dig into Dirk’s wrist and pinch his skin.

“AH!” Dirk supressed his outburst and his face squeezed in pain as he winced. So much for not being in pain and dripping with blood.

Renfield’s shoulders dropped and quickly let him go and backed away, “I’m sorry. I’m weak. We’ll have to find another way.”

Dirk felt the sting of tears threatening to rise. He rubbed his pinched wrist and looked down to see yet another bruise beginning to form around the small but painful cut. He closed his eyes and shook his head in defeat before looking at the man across him and spoke before he could catch himself, “What _are_ you?”

Renfield’s red rimmed eyes looked at him in the eye with a sorry gaze, and when to open his mouth to speak before a deafening creak came from the door. Both of their heads snapped towards the door as they expected to see Dr. Seward and her scientist pals to come waltzing in, and their breaths stopped as they watched the door crack open.

But Dirk saw an eye. Just one. A blue one.

And Dirk’s own eyes widened as he realised he recognised that one blue eye.

“Todd?”

“Dirk? Holy shit!”

The door swung open and Todd came bursting into the room. He ran towards Dirk and the first thing he did was wrap his arms around him in a hug. Although Dirk was physically incapable of reciprocating the gesture, the feeling was mutual, and he savoured Todd’s embrace for the few seconds it lasted.

“Todd!” His voice cracked and his cheeks began to hurt as his smile got wider, “Todd, you came to rescue me!”

Todd’s shared the same smile, “That’s right! I can’t actually believe I found you. What are the odds, huh? This whole holistic universe theory might actually be a thing!”

The smell of Todd’s outfit finally hit Dirk’s nose, and he tried to hide the disgusted grimace that appeared on his face. Todd laughed, “I smell terrible, I know. Don’t rub it in. It’s this city, the whole place stinks. Remind me never to visit Lond-” Todd’s voice stopped dead as he looked over to the other figure in the room. To Renfield. Todd was not getting a good vibe from this bloke.

“Dirk?” He said cautiously, “Who the hell is that?” Todd asked as he stared unblinkingly at Renfield, worried that if he’d blink he’d be eaten or killed. Dirk’s smile faltered as he became confused at Todd’s sudden wariness and followed Todd’s gaze.

“Oh,” Dirk said nonchalantly, “That’s Renfield. And this,” He turned to Renfield, “is Todd Brotzman, my assistant. My Assis-friend.”

“D-Dirk, have you not noticed?” Todd stared at Renfield and back at Dirk, “Have you seriously not noticed?”

“Hmm? What?” Dirk asked innocently. God, was Dirk really such an idiot all the time? Todd was amazed he could be so stupid and so smart, “What do you mean ‘what?’- he looks exactly like you!”

“Oh, _that_. Yes, well, don’t you get it? This is the reason we’re here. The universe doesn’t just throw us back in time and introduce us to someone who looks identical to me without a reason! And he is the reason why we’re here.” Dirk gestured to Renfield, who was now the one looking at them puzzled.

Todd stared at Dirk blankly. It made sense, but he was still unsure, “Okay, so if we found what we’re here for, what are we supposed do about it? Is he a relative of yours? Is he gonna help us get back to Seattle? Is he gonna help us with Patrick Spring’s case?--”

“Patrick Spring?” Renfield curiously chipped in, “The American inventor?”

Dirk’s surprised eyes lit up as he looked to Renfield, “You know Patrick Spring?”

“No, not personally. But about a month or two ago he visited London as a guest lecturer at the University of London. He’s a very intelligent man. My Master and he spoke with one another on occasion during his visit to the museum.”

Dirk’s mouth was open in pleasant disbelief as he looked over to Todd and gave him a ‘What-a-coincidence!’ look, “Todd. Patrick Spring was here in London!”

“Okay, but did he have a machine with him? About this big, possibly had numbers on it?” Todd asked.

“You know, I would love to answer your question, Mr. Brotzman, but there is an extraordinary woman who has promised that she would be back very soon with two other equally as extraordinary men, and I would prefer to not be here when they do, because they will do extraordinarily bad things to us. All of us.”

Dirk’s attention snapped back up, “ _Shit_.” He whispered, “I almost forgot about her. But,” Dirk looked down at his cuffs, “I’m a little stuck.”

Todd quickly grabbed the old-fashioned keys that he had stolen from the guard and placed into his pocket moments before, “I might have the key.”

Dirk smiled at him longingly, “Perfect! I knew there was a reason you were my assistant. Let’s give them a try!” Dirk held out his wrists as Todd hurriedly scrambled with the keys as he tried to single out and choose one to try on the lock. He felt the sudden pressure of time as he too expected to be interrupted by the people who had dragged Dirk away in the first place.

“Hurry, Mr. Brotzman.” Renfield cooed.

“I’m trying.” Todd replied vexedly. The chinking and clanking of the keys rang through the room as the three of them focused their attention on the cuffs.

Three keys didn’t work, and Todd tried the fourth, “Dammit!”

Dirk waited and tapped his foot nervously. He carefully observed the now slightly open door and into the dark, dimly lit corridor. It was like back when he was a child when his bedroom door was open during the night. He would lay in bed and stare into the blackness. He anticipated the monsters that lay just beyond the dark, lurking, waiting until he fell asleep to come and get him. And that was he felt now; he was waiting for the monsters to come back. The night creatures--

“AHA!” Todd exclaimed, and the cuffs fell off Dirk’s wrists and clattered onto the floor.

Dirk felt the release of the cuffs and the painful pinch of the metal was gone. He looked down from the corridor and back to his best assis-friend and joyfully exclaimed with him. He cheerily lifted his arms in the air and wriggled them exceedingly, enjoying his newly found freedom before wrapping Todd in a tight bear hug, compensating for his inability to do so before.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Todd smiled uncomfortably, and lightly pushed Dirk off him. He felt a bit assholish doing that, but Dirk’s smile didn’t falter, he instead put his attention to his lightly bloodied wrists and soothingly rubbed them.

“Shall we get going?” Renfield asked, and without waiting for an answer, he didn’t hesitate to lead the way out of the cell and into the corridor, “Follow me.” He called back from outside the cell.

Dirk and Todd looked at each other and shrugged, they didn’t know where to go from here, so they might as well follow him. They ran to catch up with Renfield’s smooth strides, passed the unconscious guard and up the darkness of the staircase. The darkness swallowed their sight, and Dirk and Todd fondled the wall as they slowly ascended the stairs towards Renfield.

“Todd?” Dirk asked as they walked, “That man back there on the floor, did you do that?”

“Yeah.” Todd answered matter-of-factly, “I needed to find you, Dirk. He wasn’t just gonna gimme the keys and let you out.”

There was a pause.

“Thanks.” Dirk said.

 He couldn’t see it, but Todd could hear the grateful smile in Dirk’s voice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since I uploaded; my apologies. University term is nearly over, and as I said, I do plan to finish this story. And I DO have an ending in mind, unlike most of my other (unfinished) stories, and I am invested in it. But y'know what really keeps me motivated? Comments! I love those!

They hadn’t gotten far out from the staircase and had only reached the first few cells before all three of them stopped and looked as each other as they listened to the echoing footsteps approaching.

“Shit.” Todd whispered, and they all retreated back around the corner they had just passed, but kept their heads poking slightly around the corner. They heard the jingle of the guard’s keys as his shadow on the wall got bigger against the bluish hue of the moonlight, and finally they watched the stocky guard make his way around the corner and towards them, casually looking into the cells as he slowly passed them. The guard’s uniform was tight around his large stomach and the buttons threatened to pop, and his double chin had patchy whispers of stubble scattered about.

Dirk innocently poked his head back behind the wall and closed his eyes, hoping the universe would keep him from being caught. Whenever his fight or flight response kicked in, he was always one to fly. He wasn’t a fighter. But that’s what Todd was for. Todd was his fight.

Dirk felt a presence leave his side and he opened his eyes to see Todd had begun running towards the guard. He smiled proudly as he watched the fight to his flight run to the guard. To his surprise, Renfield had followed behind.

“Oi, What’re yo--” The guard was cut off as Todd once again sucker punched yet another one in the mouth; it seemed to be becoming a habit. But it was in vain. This one was much more stockier and heavier than the last one. The guard was knocked back and clearly taken by surprise, and with a sharp glare, he held his jaw with one hand and reached for his baton with the other. Todd suddenly felt small as the guard puffed out his chest and began to tower over him as he raised his baton.

That was when Renfield leaped from behind Todd with speed and launched himself at the guard with enough force the both of them to the ground. He gripped him tightly by the neck and squeezed. Todd stepped back in surprise as he watched the guard wriggle under Renfield’s tightening grip.

Dirk watched from behind the corner. He had no doubt that Renfield was still strong in comparison to the average human. He was able to bend the iron cuffs not long ago, but the man’s neck was not metal, and his strength had become very apparent as the guard began to struggle. His legs were flailing as Renfield straddled him, looming over with wide, hungry eyes.

Todd stood there with the same amount of shock as Dirk. They stared with mouths agape as Renfield’s head dipped into the fat, red neck of the guard, and without being able to see, Dirk could hear the puncture of the skin as Renfield bit the man, who was now nearly purple with death. Then the guard stopped struggling. His legs fell limp and his arms, which had been aimlessly grasping at Renfield’s clothes and arms, were now lifeless at his sides. It all happened so quickly.

“Huh.” Todd took another shocked step back as he stared at Renfield suckling at the man’s neck. The sounds of Renfield’s satisfied hums made both Todd and Dirk uncomfortable. Todd glanced at Dirk, who was still cowering behind the corner as they listened to the lapping of blood and sucking of skin.

 “Is he like a vampire of something?!” Time travel was one thing, but supernatural shit was another. He shouldn’t have been so surprised though, all things considered, “Jesus Christ.” He Sighed. Todd shook his head and his brows knitted as he questioned every decision that led him to this point.

A holistic tingle shot though Dirk’s body, and he moved suddenly, clumsily standing up and running to Renfield, pulling the man off the guard, “We have to go.” Dirk’s voice wavered as he tried hard to avoid looking at the guard, but as he tried to gently pull Renfield away, he looked down and saw the lines of blood running from the guard’s neck and pooling between the cracks of the stone floor. Todd also watched as he stood shocked for a moment, staring sadly as the blood trickled closer to his feet.

“C’mon!” Dirk begged the two of them, trying to snap them out of it.

“’Eh?”

A weak but gruff voice calls from one of the cells. Todd looked behind him to see a buff man bald man looking straight at him with sick lidded dark brown eyes. Todd was ready to leave and follow Dirk, who had been trying to pry Renfield away from his midnight snack, but something caught his eye. An anchor tattoo.

“A- are you Reggie?” Todd asked hesitantly. He didn’t really want to be making contact with actual criminal prisoners… but he had promised. The man’s lidded eyes widened with surprise, yet clearly suspicious “Yeah? What’s it to ya?” and he eyed Todd quizzically as Todd reached for the guard’s belt and took the hoop of keys from them and began fiddling with them as he walked to the man’s cell.

“He wanted me to let you out if I found you. The old homeless guy. Smells like alcohol and B.O.”

“Mickey? Cor blimey, I knew I could rely on that old bugger!” Reggie was clearly ill as he croaked his excitement.

Renfield had forcefully shrugged Dirk’s attempts of dragging him away, and instead his attention turned to Todd and the man in the cell, “Todd, what are you doing?” His voice was high with disbelief and he walked confrontationally up to him, “You’re not letting this man go, are you? What about the caterpillar effect and whatnot?”

“You mean the butterfly effect?” Todd fiddled with the set of keys, and much like last time, he tried over and over again.

“Yes, yes, you know what I mean. Why are you doing this?”

“I promised a homeless guy if he helped me get in here to find you, I’d help his friend get out. Quid pro quo, y’know?” He kept trying the keys as Reggie, with eyes like an excited child, smiled in anticipation as each key was tried.

“He’s a criminal! Who knows the types of things he’s done.”

Reggie piped up, “I stole food to feed my family.”

“Yeah, that’s what they all say.” He squinted at the prisoner suspiciously.

“Dirk, stop it!” Todd couldn’t believe he was being so unreasonable, “If we’ve come back to 1893 or whatever, maybe it’s always been this way. Maybe I’m supposed to let him out.”

“And maybe,” Dirk responded sarcastically, “maybe you’re letting out a criminal that could potentially change the future, and not for the better-”

And finally, one of the keys had turned and Dirk and Todd stared at each other with an opposite reaction. With a smug smile, Todd opened the cell door, allowing Reggie to escape. With a distrustful grimace Dirk’s eyes glare at Reggie as he began to follow Todd away from the cell and up the stairs to the main foyer.

“C’mon, Mr. Renfield. We’re leaving now. Dinner’s over.” His chirpy voice had turned flat as he began to lightly sulk. There was something about that man that didn’t seem right, and Todd ignoring Dirk, although was not unusual, disappointed him a way he hadn’t felt before.

Renfield removed himself from his prey with a wet pop and he slowly stood up to join Dirk. Dirk looked at the body, one that was once supple and lively was now drained of fluids, like a juice box that had be squeezed empty.

His stomach couldn’t help but churn as he looked at Renfield and saw a ring and smear of blood along his face.

“You have… just a little bit…” Dirk motioned at his mouth to wipe, which Renfield did, not that it helped much.

“We should catch up with the others.” Dirk told him as he started walking up the stairs to the entrance foyer, and Renfield followed, leaving the corpse just in the middle of the hall.

 “You’re not wrong.” Renfield whispered, “These criminals, you never quite know what secrets they hide. I wouldn’t trust a single one of them.”

Dirk frowned at the thought. What if his suspicions are correct? What if he kills someone important? Or an important bloodline? Or hurts someone he shouldn't? Once the two of them regrouped with the other two in the foyer, he made a mental note to go to the police and report Reggie once he was out of their sight if he had the time.

 


End file.
